His ambitious energy plan seeks to implement a 30 percent cap reduction of carbon, and ensure that all communities benefit from renewable energy programs (including underserved communities). A key intention of the plan is to simultaneously spur renewable energy market development, including lots of jobs. That’s all while reducing emissions from power plants, and effectively ending the use of coal in the state by 2020.

New York’s embrace of renewables is already happening. Overall, 24 percent of the state’s energy came from renewable sources in 2016. New York is ranked tenth in the country for solar power and fourteenth in the country for wind power for installed capacity.

Building a Renewable Empire State

Why is New York so gung-ho for solar power? Some of it is due to geography. Despite the fact that it doesn’t bask in sunlight at the same levels as states like Florida or California, New York is sporting solar panels all over. Due to the latitude, solar peak time in New York tends to coincide with peak demand time, a happy accident that makes New York a particularly promising landscape for solar arrays.

Additionally, climate change impacts have hit New York City hard, an island city built on bridges and tunnels, and is affecting many people. Recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy, which wiped out power to parts of the city for days, are still taking place.

Outside of New York City, other cities and towns are eager to swap out collapsing infrastructure and economies, like Buffalo, for a renewables-based economy built to withstand climate change.

Already, the state’s electricity demand is beginning to decline, thanks to installed solar arrays. Governor Cuomo recently pledged $200 million to help support energy storage across the state, boosting the effectiveness of both wind and solar energy, as well as $15 million to fund fuel cell systems in critical infrastructure facilities, $10 million for new renewable energy accelerators,

But, it’s not just the sun that New York is investing in. Investing in wind power is picking up briskly, especially offshore wind. Recently, the New York State Energy Research Development Authority announced an offshore wind master plan that will help develop 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.